Red Bull target to make the first test with 2012 RB8

Red Bull racing chief technical officer Adrian Newey is sure that team on aim to make the first pre-season test on February 7 with its 2012 RB8 car.

“The schedule is to make the first test,” he said when asked about progress on the RB8 by AUTOSPORT. “As always, it will be tight but I’d be very disappointed if it was not.”

Adrian Newey acknowledged that the one potential pitfall was new regulations forcing teams to pass all FIA crash tests before they started testing. Earlier, teams only had to pass the tests before the first race weekend, but the 2012 rules mean that every team has had to bring forward its timetable.

“One thing that is different this year is that we have to pass all of the crash tests before we are allowed to test,” said Newey. “For everyone, that is going to be a bit of a concern because sometimes something unexpected can happen.

“This time around, if something unexpected happens and it’s too severe, then it could be the first test you miss and it could roll on to the second and third. But apart from that, it’s just about getting out and getting on with it.”

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